Starting from midday of March 28 the inflow of foreign diplomats to the Opera House of Armenia was not stopping. They all gathered to bid the last good bye to Prime Minister, Andranik Margaryan, who died on March 25.
“Unlike other political figures of our reality, Andranik Margaryan reached the age of political maturity in the soviet period. He actively participated in the national revival. The existence of such people is a must in our reality as future generations are inspired by such people,” says Hrant Khachatryan, leader of the CRU. He assumes that Andranik Margaryan’s untimely decease will affect on the NKR conflict settlement as well as the collaboration of RA conflicting political forces. “We were able to find a common language despite our discords and disputes. In my opinion, the Republican Party suffers the greatest loss. It is not strange that people speak of the prime minister’s merits today. Andranik Margaryan was able to reconcile various forces,” Hrant Khachatryan adds. Paruyr Hairikyan, leader of the Union for Self-Determination, assumes that Andranik Margaryan’s greatest merit was that he was a member of the board of the National United Party (NUP). The party had five members and was criticized for the practical goals it pursued. Prime Ministers are still to come; I don’t want to refer to Andranik Margaryan’s qualities as a prime minister. Member of NUP’s board is more significant than all the prime ministers taken together. Liberty Square was full of people; many came to express their respect towards RA Prime Minster Andranik Margaryan, others – out of curiosity. “Andranik Margaryan was my compatriot; he comes from Talin. He was a good person,” says Karen. “Our country lost a great statesman. He had his great share in the country’s future well-being and statehood. He is an excellent sample of a real patriot as he has been capable of uniting conflicting political forces”, Serob Antinyan says.
Ararat Hairapetyan maintains that Andranik Margaryan is the embodiment of political morality. “He is a traditional Armenian. One can hardly find suchlike people among the RA high-ranking officials today. ” Mr. Siranush claims, “I have come to look at the eyes of those who wished death to the prime minister.” Martin Zohrabyan also agrees that everything was planned under a perfect scenario. Mrs. Anik stood at the entrance and shouted, “Andranik Margaryan was murdered; let them sent me to the National Security Service for this announcement. There are so many people who suffer heart problems but live for a long time.” It is noteworthy that the Republicans, Tigran Torosyan and Serge Sargsyan didn’t go aside during the whole funeral.
"It is a big sorrow and a big loss for Armenian people, and also for the Greek people. Andranik Margaryan was a big friend of Greece," deputy foreign minister of Greece, Teodor Kasimis told Armenian journalists after paying the last respect to Margaryan at Opera and Ballet Theater. Lithuanian nature protection minister Arunos Kunorotos said the untimely death of Margaryan is a big loss to Armenia and its people. "We appreciate all important things we implemented together with Armenian government headed by Andranik Margaryan and hope to continue our effective cooperation," he said. Robert Simmons, NATO special representative for Central Asia and the South Caucasus, said he was mourning with Armenian people the untimely death of prime minister Margaryan. "Armenia lost its great son and I lost a good friend,’ Georgia’s prime minister Zurab Nogaideli said. Vladimir Rushailo, executive secretary of the CIS, representatives from France, Canada, Turkish ambassador to Georgia and many other foreign dignitaries visited the theater’s lobby to pay their last respect to Andranik Margaryan.
In a related news, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov visited today the embassy of Armenia in Moscow to convey his condolences over Margaryan’s death and made a note in the book of condolences. Armenian ambassador Armen Smbatyan said visited the embassy also Nikolay Bordyuzha, secretary general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), members of the Russian parliament and about 50 foreign ambassadors stationed in Moscow. Smbatyan said diplomats from Azerbaijani embassy in Moscow said they would like to also visit the Armenian embassy and express their sympathies over the death of Armenian prime minister.
Margaryan was appointed Prime Minister in 2000 to bring a degree of stability to the country after a terrorist raid on its parliament on October 27, 1999 in which its prime minister Vazgen Sarkisyan, parliament speaker Karen Demirchyan and several other top government members were killed. In the aftermath of the gunmen’s surrender president Robert Kocharyan appointed Vazgen’s brother, Aram, prime minister. But Kocharyan replaced him with Margaryan several months later. Since then Margaryan had been the head of the government, being the longest serving Armenian prime minister and leader of the Republican Party, the largest grouping in the Armenian Parliament. He was born in 1951 in Yerevan to a family of refugees from Western Armenia, and educated at the Yerevan Polytechnic Institute, where he qualified as a computer engineer. In 1968 he joined the illegal National United Party, which agitated against Soviet domination of Armenia. In 1974 he was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison for disseminating anti-Soviet ideas. When Armenia declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 he became a member of the new Republican Party, and became a deputy of the national assembly in 1995. Armenian prime minister, Andranik Margaryan, was appointed Prime Minister in 2000 to bring a degree of stability to the country after a terrorist raid on its parliament on October 27, 1999 in which its prime minister Vazgen Sarkisyan, parliament speaker Karen Demirchyan and several other top government members were killed. In the aftermath of the gunmen’s surrender president Robert Kocharyan appointed Vazgen’s brother, Aram, prime minister. But Kocharyan replaced him with Margaryan several months later. Since then Margaryan had been the head of the government, being the longest serving Armenian prime minister and leader of the Republican Party, the largest grouping in the Armenian Parliament. He was born in 1951 in Yerevan to a family of refugees from Western Armenia, and educated at the Yerevan Polytechnic Institute, where he qualified as a computer engineer. In 1968 he joined the illegal National United Party, which agitated against Soviet domination of Armenia. In 1974 he was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison for disseminating anti-Soviet ideas. When Armenia declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 he became a member of the new Republican Party, and became a deputy of the national assembly in 1995. At 14:30 Margaryan’s body was moved from Opera House to Komitas Pantheon, where he was buried.